Renfrewshire Council will look at ways of addressing an “apparent rise” in rat sightings after the trend was labelled a “really big concern” for residents.

Labour group leader Iain McMillan received cross-party backing for his plea at this week’s summit and officers have been instructed to prepare a report on the matter and highlight potential solutions to manage the situation.

The Johnstone South and Elderslie representative previously expressed his worry that a “pattern” could be developing as constituent complaints about the rodents become more common for elected members.

In the chambers on Thursday, he said: “It’s certainly a real, real concern for people that are affected by this.

“I well know rats have been about for a long, long time and I’m sure councillors have dealt with the issue over the years but in the last year or so I’ve dealt with it more and more.

“It seems to be a really big issue and concern to local people out there … What I am asking to happen is for council officers to go away and have a look at this and see why it’s happening, why there seems to be more.”

The council has a pest control section on its website that details the services it can provide to commercial and domestic properties in relation to rat treatments as well as the relevant costs and concession rates.

Councillor McMillan acknowledged this approach but hoped to see a paper drafted that would examine some of the root causes of the issue in Renfrewshire.

He added: “I know we’ve got services that will come along and put down poison or bait boxes. That might help that individual and that’s fine but it seems to me to be a wider problem.

“We’re never going to stop rats. We live on the same planet, we need to learn to coexist.

“What we need to try and do is discourage these creatures from hanging about people’s back doors, going into people’s houses, hanging about their bins.

“There has to be some kind of advice to people, rather than dealing with it in a piecemeal way.”

Councillor McMillan accepted an amendment to his motion from Councillor Michelle Campbell, an SNP representative for Erskine and Inchinnan and convener of the infrastructure, land and environment policy board.

She said it sought to firm the text up “slightly” and make sure any report that comes forward includes the “legal context” to the situation.

It passed with unanimous support.